Despite earning a permanent spot in the F1 calendar, the Sprint format remains under fire. Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen has opposed the format introduced in 2021 that is “not proper racing” but “more like gambling”. His disproving words refer to the lack of practice sessions that force teams to jump into competitive sessions without full knowledge of performance expectations. 2024 marks the 3rd anniversary of his vocal opposition to Sprint Races. Moreover, Red Bull Team Advisor Helmut Marko has also joined him in urging F1 to eradicate this excitement-reducing format.

The latest Sprint format comprises a Sprint Shootout (Qualifying) and a Sprint Race before the regular qualifying and race. Many stakeholders from the F1 paddock have highlighted how the Sprint race displays the pecking order 1 day prior, leading to fans already knowing what’ll follow in the Grand Prix. Yet, F1 continues to promote it because of the commercial value it brings.

Max Verstappen, who we know wants to do nothing but race, doesn’t enjoy any of this. “If you want my honest opinion about sprint weekends, I don’t really get excited by it,” the Red Bull driver reiterated in 2023. Surprisingly, he declared this right after winning the Sprint race at COTA.

Helmut Marko, who is his close aide, has doubled down on the Sprint race’s downsides. Though the Austrian said that for organizers, “these two days are easier to market than the classic weekend format,” the sporting side suffers. “On the sporting side, I’m more of a fan of the traditional process, because a sprint takes something away from the main event,” Marko wrote for Speedweek.

“What’s more, because the competitors only have one free practice session, you can be wrong with the set-up, as happened to us two years ago in Brazil. With the regulations at the time, under which hardly any changes to the car were allowed, a race was as good as lost.” He concluded, saying: “Conclusion about the sprint: as an organizer, yes, (but) as a racing fan, no.

It’s not just Red Bull members who have condemned this new format development. McLaren driver Lando Norris also highlighted the additional “stress” that the Sprint weekends bring. He even spoke for the unsung mechanics, for whom such stress is “not healthy”. Nonetheless, F1 has no plans to eradicate the format.

Max Verstappen goes unheard as F1 CEO hints at adding more Sprint weekends

The Chinese GP last weekend was the first Sprint weekend of 2024. Max Verstappen doubled down on F1’s decision, terming it “not the smartest thing to do,” considering that the Chinese GP returned to F1 after 5 years. But when F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali was asked if the sport benefits from Sprint weekends, he wholly backed it.

“Why not?” Domenicali replied when asked about the potential for more sprint races. “They are great, because that way there is excitement every day. We have a duty to ensure that there is action on the track every day out of respect for the fans who come here,” he concluded.

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As a racing fan, watching more competitive action does give us our money’s worth. For the drivers and teams, however, it causes more physical strain, as confirmed by Lando Norris. Let us hope that the F1 bosses can come to an amicable solution that works for all parties involved.